Well known Guyanese-British literary critic, linguist, poet and anthropologist, Dr Ivan van Sertima, died recently, according to a release from the Guyana Cultural Association New York Inc/Guyana Folk Festival which expressed condolences to his family.
Ivan van Sertima
According to the release Dr van Sertima was born in January 1935 in Kitty when the country was still a British colony and remained a British citizen. After completing his primary and secondary schooling in Guyana, he travelled to London and went to university. In addition to producing an array of creative writing, van Sertima also completed undergraduate studies in African languages and literature and during his studies he became fluent in Swahili and Hungarian. He also worked for several years in Great Britain as a journalist, doing weekly broadcasts to the Caribbean and Africa.
He later immigrated to the US where he entered the University of Rutgers in New Brunswick, New Jersey for graduate work and he has had over 30 years of teaching at the university where he also completed his Master’s degree.
He was an associate professor of African Studies in the Department of African Studies.
Many thanks for your invaluable research about Ancient Africa and uncovering the truth of Egypt, The Slave Trade and among many others.
You may not be known by most people but you’ll certainly be remembered here.
HAve Dr Van Sertima every came back home to lecture, if not why now that he is gone I believe then its our duty to elevate him and let the younger Guyanese know about him via all his books and you tube.
What a day for the world and for the Black race, he was indeed a passionate professor in his field and I hope that his work will continue to inspire our people of generations to come. He was trully a scholar and may he rest in peace. The master has called him home. Ivan van Sertima R.I.P. brother.